Hi couchsurfing!

I'm a very open and easy-going person - I try to find the positive in all things and spread good energy everywhere I go.

I love music and am traveling with a guitar - if you don't know how to play I am happy to teach you, but if you do... Let's jam!

I have wanted to travel since I was 16. Ten years later I am finally doing it! I guess it took me a while to realize that if you want something, don't wait!

My route so far:
San Francisco -> Shanghai -> Tokyo -> Nara -> Hachioji -> Osaka -> Kuala Lumpur -> Hanoi -> Phong Nha -> Hue -> Hoi An -> Da Nang -> Ho Chi Minh -> Bangkok -> Ko Samui -> Ko Tau -> Chiang Mai -> Bangkok -> Kuala Lumpur -> Kochi -> Aleppy -> Munnar -> Madurai -> Bangalore -> Hampi -> Mumbai -> Varanasi -> New Delhi -> Madrid -> Barcelona -> Valencia -> London -> Barcelona

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

The couch surfing community is a great place to meet the exact kind of people who I like to meet - friendly, open to new experiences, interested in learning more about the world, and willing to share food, knowledge, and time with others! My favorite memories when traveling have always been the times when I connected with awesome people.

Interests

• street art
• music festivals
• education
• cooking
• wine
• fitness
• running
• technology
• movies
• music
• hiking
• camping
• rock climbing
• swimming
• teaching
• history
• philosophy
• historic sites
• food
• nature
• user experience design
• learning languages
• people
• craft beer
• programming
• meeting new people
• local history
• product design
• ethical tourism
• processing
• technology art
• generative algorithms
• touchdesigner
• p5.js

Music, Movies, and Books

I like (almost) all kinds of music, but these days I mostly listen to jazz, hip hop, electronic, and fusion. I love to play music as well, and know how to play guitar and drums. Some of the last few concerts I've been to are: Kendrick Lamar, ThunderCat, Bad Bad Not Good, Kamasi Washington, and Labyrinth music festival.

Some of my favorite movies are Pulp Fiction, Scott Pilgrim, Night Crawler, and The Lobster. I generally like most movies but am a wimp when it comes to scary movies!

I love to read books and have a full shelf at home. When I was younger it was mostly fantasy and fiction series, but these days I keep coming back to non-fiction. Right now I'm reading a book on the philosophy of product design and the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I climbed Half Dome! It's a 16 mile round trip journey with 4000 ft elevation gain and 7 pitches of technical rock climbing. The whole thing took about 18 hours, and it's the most tired I've ever been!

Teach, Learn, Share

I'm happy to teach anything that I know, but here are a few things I am especially good at teaching:
- Qualitative User Research Methodology and User Centered Design (I taught classes at a university level)
- Swimming (I was a swimming coach for 6 years)
- Guitar (I have been playing guitar for 13 years)
- Rock Climbing (I worked at a climbing gym for 3 years)

I love to learn anything that someone else can teach me!

I am happy to share anything I have - especially positivity, jokes, smiles, kindness, and food.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Myself. My time, knowledge, and expertise. My positive energy! Music.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, China, Croatia, England, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, United States, Vatican City State, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States